I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 466: Are you worthy

Jack’s hand remained on Oscar’s hilt, his stance ready despite knowing that if Tharaxis decided to kill him, there would be nothing he could do to stop it.

”The previous Soul Warden stood before me once,” Tharaxis continued, his voice carrying that quality of distant thunder again.

”Red hair like fire. Eyes that burned with determination I hadn’t seen in centuries. She asked me the same question you’re probably considering. Wether I could be bound to her service.”

”What did you tell her?” Jack asked.

”I told her no,” Tharaxis said plainly. ”Explained that attempting to bind a Demi-God would destroy her soul long before the chains could take hold. She accepted that answer and left. Went on to conquer three more floors before the Council found her and ended her reign.”

Lightning pulsed from the dragon’s eyes with sadness. ”She lasted eleven months as Soul Warden. Longer than most, but still pathetically brief. The throne consumes those who sit upon it, little Soul Warden. The power attracts enemies you cannot yet imagine.”

Jack absorbed this information, his mind cataloging every detail. The Council. Previous Soul Wardens. The throne’s deadly nature. All pieces of a puzzle he was still assembling.

”You mentioned the Council,” Jack said. ”Who are they?”

Tharaxis’s laugh was softer this time, more contemplative. ”Questions for later. First, we should address the immediate situation.”

The dragon’s countless arms shifted, and one massive claw gestured toward the plateau’s edge. ”Stormfang cowers behind those rocks, bleeding and terrified. You want to bind it. I want to know if you’re worthy of such power.”

Jack’s red eyes tracked the gesture, spotting movement among distant rock formations. White scales and star-bright eyes visible for a moment before the wyvern retreated deeper into cover.

”What do I need to prove?” Jack asked, returning his attention to Tharaxis.

”Nothing yet,” the dragon rumbled. ”But we’re going to have a conversation, you and I. About the Council. About previous Soul Wardens. About what it truly means to claim that throne and the enemies who will hunt you for it.”

Lightning crackled from his golden eyes with increased intensity. ”And at the end of that conversation, if you still want to bind my child, if you still think you’re ready for what comes...”

Tharaxis’s massive head lowered until it was level with Jack, those burning eyes filling his entire field of vision.

”Then we’ll discuss whether you and I might reach an understanding that benefits us both.”

Jack held Tharaxis’s gaze without flinching, his red eyes meeting those golden orbs with a steadiness that bordered on reckless.

The dragon’s proximity was overwhelming. Each breath the creature took moved enough air to create wind that tugged at Jack’s armor.

”The Council,” Jack prompted, refusing to be intimidated despite the massive skull hovering inches from his face. ”You started to explain who they are. I know a little, but not much.”

Tharaxis pulled back slightly, that enormous head rising to a more comfortable distance. ”Direct. I like that. The Council is exactly what it sounds like. A gathering of powerful individuals who believe they have authority over matters that threaten their vision of order.”

”And Soul Wardens threaten that order,” Jack stated.

”Precisely.” Lightning crackled along Tharaxis’s yellow scales with increased intensity. ”Soul Magic is ancient. Predates most of the current gods. It allows mortals to bind creatures, build armies, accumulate power that rivals divine authority. The Council hates what they cannot control, and they cannot control someone who can raise legions from the dead.”

The dragon coiled through the air, his serpentine body creating loops that defied gravity. ”Every member of the Council has a contract with a powerful beast. They understand the value of such partnerships. But contracts are mutual agreements. The beast can refuse, negotiate to maintain some autonomy. Soul binding offers no such courtesy. The bound creature serves absolutely, whether it wishes to or not.”

Jack’s mind processed this, connecting it to his own experiences. The panthers he’d bound. The minotaurs. The Hydra. All of them served with perfect obedience because the Soul Link had rewritten their fundamental nature.

”So they hunt Soul Wardens because we represent uncontrolled power,” Jack said.

”They hunt Soul Wardens because you represent power they fear,” Tharaxis corrected. ”There’s a difference. The Council tolerates many threats to their authority. Rogue mages. Ambitious nobles. Even gods who step outside acceptable boundaries. But Soul Wardens?” Lightning arced from the dragon’s eyes in sharp bursts.

”Soul Wardens they eliminate immediately and without mercy.”

”How many Council members are there?” Jack asked.

”Seven,” Tharaxis replied. ”Each one powerful enough to destroy armies alone. Each one bound to a creature that enhances their already formidable capabilities.”

The dragon’s voice carried weight. ”Six of them have contracts. The seventh, their leader, has something different. Something more dangerous.”

Jack’s jaw tightened slightly. ”What does their leader have?”

”The blessing of Erebus,” Tharaxis said, and Jack felt his blood go cold. ”The Primordial God of Darkness chose a champion. Granted that champion power beyond what contracts or bindings could provide. Made him the strongest mortal to ever draw breath.”

Erebus. The god who’d tried to kill Jack when he was a child. Who’d put him into a coma for ten years. Who Jack had marked as an enemy the moment he’d learned the truth.

And now that same god had a champion leading the organization that hunted Soul Wardens.

”This champion,” Jack said, his voice carefully controlled. ”Is he the one who killed the red-haired woman?”

”No,” Tharaxis replied, surprising Jack. ”That was a different Council member. A woman who specializes in assassination. Quick, efficient, left no trace beyond the corpse.”

The dragon’s countless arms shifted. ”The leader doesn’t involve himself in such tasks. He delegates. Observes. Only acts when something truly threatens the order he’s spent centuries building.”

Jack filed that information away, his strategic mind already working through the implications. ”You said the red-haired Soul Warden lasted eleven months. How long did others last?”

”Most die within days,” Tharaxis said flatly. ”The throne attracts attention immediately. Every enemy within a hundred miles knows the moment someone claims Soul Warden status. Adventurers. Mages. Creatures looking to eliminate a future threat. The Council.”

The lightning from his eyes dimmed slightly. ”Eleven months was exceptional. Before her, the longest reign was three weeks.”

”And before that?” Jack pressed.

Tharaxis was quiet for a long moment, his massive body coiling through storm clouds that parted around his form. When he spoke again, his voice carried something like nostalgia.

”Before the red-haired woman, before the dozens who died in days or weeks, there was Malakai.”

The dragon’s tone shifted, becoming almost reverent. ”The original Soul Warden. The one who discovered the magic. The one who built an empire on bound souls and made even gods hesitate before opposing him.”

Jack’s attention sharpened. ”How long did Malakai reign?”

”Centuries,” Tharaxis said. ”He disappeared one day. Not from the Council or assassins or accumulated enemies.”

The dragon’s head lowered again, those golden eyes studying Jack with electrical discharge crackling outward in branching patterns.

”Malakai was different from every Soul Warden who came after. He understood that power alone wasn’t enough. He built alliances. Made calculated enemies. Knew when to fight and when to negotiate. Most importantly...” Tharaxis paused.

”He never stopped growing stronger. Never settled. Never decided he had enough power.”

”What happened after he died?” Jack asked.